July 1, as the countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games enters its final month, the report learned from the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Sport that 29 athletes from the province have qualified for the Games. This achievement surpasses Sichuan's previous record for the number of athletes competing in an Olympic Games held overseas, previously set by 20 Sichuan athletes participating in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Sichuan athletes heading to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will compete in 11 major sports categories and 16 specific events, including athletics, cycling, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, triathlon, artistic swimming, boxing, taekwondo, and shooting (skeet). Besides the qualified athletes, several more Sichuan athletes are intensively training with their event teams in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics, striving to earn their places in the final contingent.
Rising Gymnasts Ready to Shine
Among the 29 athletes, gymnast Zou Jingyuan stands out as a highly anticipated competitor. Born in Yibin, Sichuan Province, in 1998, Zou began his gymnastics journey at the age of three when he was identified as a promising talent by the Yibin Amateur Sports School. By the age of six, he had advanced to the Sichuan Provincial Sports School for further training. In 2012, Zou earned a spot on the national team, where he has since achieved numerous accolades. Hailed as a "textbook-level" gymnast by Zou Kai, a fellow Sichuan gymnast and five-time Olympic gold medalist, Zou Jingyuan is known for his consistency and stability among Sichuan athletes. Despite facing injuries during his preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Zou Jingyuan has remained unwavering in his pursuit of his Olympic dream. In April 2024, at the National Gymnastics Championship and Tryout for the Paris Olympic Games, Zou Jingyuan delivered a stunning performance, winning gold medals in both the parallel bars and pommel horse events. His parallel bars routine, with a difficulty level of 6.9, earned him a remarkable score of 16.166, securing his direct qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This achievement positions Zou as the first male gymnast from the national team to lock in an Olympic berth. At the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Zou Jingyuan is set to compete in the parallel bars and men's team gymnastics events, with his sights firmly set on gold medals. Zou has a strong chance of standing atop the podium if he maintains his steady performance, once again pursuing his Olympic gold medal dreams.
Huang Zhangjiayang, a gymnast from Chengdu, is preparing for her second Olympic appearance. Her journey began at the age of eight when she started training at the Chengdu Children's Amateur Sports School. In 2012, she advanced to the Sichuan provincial team and then to the national team in 2015. In 2019, she was honored with the title of Elite Athlete of International Class by the General Administration of Sports of China. As a key member of the Chinese rhythmic gymnastics team, she is set to make her mark in the group all-around event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Pu Yanzhu, a fellow alumna of Huang Zhangjiayang at Chengdu Sports Institute, will join the Paris 2024 Olympics as an alternate athlete in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around event.
Second Appearance to Radiate Confidence
Liu Jiali, a cyclist from the Sichuan Water Sports School, is also making her second Olympic appearance. This 30-year-old veteran joined the Deyang Olympic Reserve Talent School in 2007, later the Sichuan provincial cycling team at the Sichuan Water Sports School in 2010, and was inducted into the national team in October 2017. She secured third place in the National Road Cycling Championship's road mass start race in 2016. On February 21, 2024, at the Asian Track Cycling Championships 2024, Liu Jiali claimed first place in the women's scratch race event and finished second in the women's omnium, demonstrating her excellent competitive form. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she will be participating in the cycling women's omnium event.
Song Jie from the Boxing and Taekwondo Sports Management Center at Sichuan Sports College is also set to embark on her second Olympic journey. Born in 1999, Song Jie hails from Bazhong, Sichuan. She joined the Sichuan provincial taekwondo team in 2010 and was selected for the national team in 2018. Throughout her career, Song Jie has achieved numerous honors, including gold medals at the 2018 National Taekwondo Championship Series and Finals, first place at the 2019 World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships, and champion of the Mixed Gender Team Taekwondo Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as gold medals at the 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix, Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games, and Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Additionally, she has been recognized with the titles of Sichuan Province March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetter and Advanced Individual of the 31st FISU World University Games. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Song Jie will be competing in the women's 67kg category, aiming for a gold medal.
Xiao Yanning, from the Artistic Swimming Center at Sichuan Sports College, is also set for her second Olympic appearance. Xiao Yanning was born in 1998 in Dazhou, Sichuan Province. She helped the Chinese artistic swimming team secure a groundbreaking gold medal at the 17th FINA World Championships in 2017, marking the team's first championship in this event. At 19, she was the team's second-youngest member at the time. From her selection to the national team at 17 to now, at 26 years old, Xiao Yanning, in the prime of her career, is poised to make history with her teammates by potentially securing China's first gold medal in artistic swimming at the Olympics. Xiang Fenxuan, also hailing from Dazhou, will join Xiao Yanning and, together, strive to take on the Olympic landmark achievement in China's artistic swimming. Among the athletes on the list, Yang Wenlu, from the women's boxing team, will also make her second Olympic appearance after Tokyo, with her goal firmly set on the gold medal in the 60kg category.
Advancing Toward Olympic Ambitions
In the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the sport boasting the highest representation of Sichuan athletes is women's field hockey, featuring a strong contingent of 10 players: Ou Zixia, Ye Jiao, Dan Wen, He Jiangxin, Zou Meirong, Yang Liu, Chen Yi, Xu Wenyu, Tan Jintong, and Yu Anhui. Ou Zixia, the captain of the Chinese women's field hockey team, who has previously competed in the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, is gearing up for her third Olympic appearance. Regarding this, she said, "This will be my third Olympic Games, and I hope this time there will be no regrets."
Sichuan Province also celebrates the inclusion of six athletes in the Chinese national basketball teams. Following their fresh WCBA championship victory, the Sichuan women's basketball team sees Wang Siyu, Li Meng, Li Yuan, Han Xu, and Tang Ziting named to the 16-member roster of the Chinese national squad. Additionally, Zhao Jiaren earns a spot in the Chinese 3X3 basketball team.
Marking a significant milestone, several Sichuan athletes are set to make their Olympic debut, with track and field competitor Wu Yanni capturing considerable attention. Wu Yanni is the first Sichuan athlete to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the ongoing Olympic cycle. In the 60-meter hurdles journey, she has seen a personal best of 8.15 seconds to 8.12 seconds at the World Indoor Athletics Championships on March 3 and then to a remarkable 8.11 seconds at the National Indoor Grand Prix in Jinan on March 13. Entering the pivotal year ahead of the Paris Olympics, Wu Yanni is strategically advancing toward her objective, letting her actions do the talking. "I'm focused on steady improvement, aiming to showcase Chinese women's hurdling on the world stage and finally reach the highest podium," she affirms. For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Wu Yanni has set her sights on a specific goal: to earn a place among the top eight.
Lyu Jianlin, representing the Sichuan provincial shooting team, claims the top spot in the cumulative standings of the Chinese men's skeet Olympic trials, a testament to his outstanding performance over the year. In adherence to the Paris Olympics qualification rules and with the consent of the International Shooting Sport Federation, China has secured a quota place for the men's skeet event through a reassignment. This eleventh-hour accomplishment earns the Chinese shooting team a ticket to the Paris Games.
It is noteworthy that with some events yet to announce their final Olympic rosters, the current tally of 29 Sichuan athletes might not be the final count for the province's participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The reporter has previously learned that several Sichuan athletes are actively training with their respective event teams for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and are expected to secure a spot in the final entry list for the Games.
In addition to the athletes above, Qiu Yike, a former Sichuan male table tennis player, is set to join the Paris 2024 Olympics as the coach of Sun Yingsha, the acclaimed young phenom in Chinese women's table tennis. Joining Qiu Yike, other Sichuan coaches, including He Xiaochu, Zhang Yi, Tao Jiaming, Liu Feng, Luo Yang, and Huang Yongsheng, will also be part of the coaching team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
